Reborn J-Drama Episode 1 Recap: Who Kills Kinpei?

Netflix’s Japanese comedy series, “Reborn,” presents a mind boggling story where the CEO of a company dies, only to wake up in the body of a commoner. It provides a fresh approach to the concept of rebirth, while subtly hinting towards real-life cases of poor people getting crushed by corporations. In “Reborn”,  Kosei Neo, CEO of Neoxis, makes waves through his acquisition of Vena Bank. Later, a senior businessman and Togo Fund’s CEO, Togo, praises him for always making impactful statements and admits that he has always seen ambition in his eyes. But, what has always left Togo confused is what exactly are Neo’s plans regarding his company because he is unpredictable. 

Spoilers Ahead

What Are Kosei Neo’s Intentions?

Neo was always an ambitious man, no matter how tough situations around him were. He started Neoxis as a young philanthropist, helping people out during a disaster back in 2012. Through his kindness, Neo gained recognition around the globe, but he always wanted to shine in business but Soman was always ahead of them. Soman’s CEO, Ichimanda, threatened Neo to reduce him to ashes but the young businessman had other plans in mind. In 2019, Neo started planning to knock Soman out and take its spot to become a partner in the upcoming Olympic Games. He also aimed to acquire ownership rights or majority stake in a bank just to make a statement in the market. With his board member, Takarabe’s help, Neo set his eyes to acquire Vena Bank but they demanded 95,000 square meters of land. Although it put Neoxis at a tough spot, Neo gained the upper hand by launching an online teaching platform during the Covid 19 outbreak. Neo expanded his business into subscription content, logistics, machine learning platforms and vaccine distribution centers. The only hurdle that stood between him gaining monopoly by acquiring Vena Bank was the huge stretch of land and Neo’s board members targeted the Akari Area in Arakawa Ward.

Who Kills Kinpei?

Kinpei ran a printing shop at Akari Shopping Street and lived at the Housing Complex with others. All of them were honest shopkeepers and owned small businesses in the street like grocery and eateries. Neo sent Tomono to lure those residents into accepting housing at a different place but none of them agreed to it. He later hires a popular strategist named Tsuchiyo and sends him with Tomono to strike a deal with the residents of the Akari Housing Complex. Kinpei’s printing shop happens to be a humble establishment and the money will be helpful but still, out of honesty, he denies it. Their chairman Eiji, who owns a laundry, lives in the same housing, rejects the offer. Neo and his men start cutting down their supply chains in an effort to deplete their businesses, making their lives a living hell. At a small gathering, a depressed Kinpei gets drunk because someone has removed all the fliers about his printing shop. Everyone thinks that he will be alright and tries to cheer him up but the next morning, his daughter, Sarasa, finds his lifeless body. Kinpei has killed himself because of Neo’s relentless efforts to put him out of business. When Neo arrives at the funeral and offers a large sum of money, Sarasa throws the cash at his face as the man shows zero empathy.

Why Does Tomono And Eri Resign from Neoxis?

Tomono and Eri had been on Neo’s side since the very beginning, even before Neoxis had its own company building. Throughout all these years, they had known that Neoxis was a company that works “For The People” (you can see the slogan right on their logo as well). But, was their actions or intents actually meant for the people at all? Neo just took advantage of people’s weaknesses and launched new business ventures based on sudden decisions, which was harsh on the employees. What broke Tomono’s heart was how Neo started evicting shopkeepers and the elderly population from the Akari Housing Complex and Shopping Street. Tomono tried to stop him but Neo never listened to anyone, so that never worked out. After Kinpei’s suicide, Tomono finds himself at great discomfort when Neo shows no empathy at the poor man’s funeral. That’s why, Tomono decides to resign from Neoxis and Eri follows him suit because she can no longer stand with this version of Neo who sees nothing but money.

What Makes Neo Fire Takarabe From Neoxis?

Takarabe was a trusted executive in Neo’s company and soon rose up the ranks because of his expertise. He was a crucial figure behind Neoxis’s acquisition of Vena Bank and initially, Neo was very content with his role. At a meeting, he even expressed great pride in having Takarabe on his side, but he never expected that his favorite executive was just ignorant. Neo finds out that Vena Bank has hidden their amount of loans before the deal with Neoxis. In fact, Takarabe himself admits that it is his fault that he did not look that much deep into Vena Bank beforehand. Neo fires Takarabe on the spot because he never expected this level of incompetency from a seasoned employee like him. He is so mad at the employee, Neo doesn’t even offer Takarabe a severance package.

Is Neo Dead?

Neo starts to introspect after losing most of his employees and the media continues to tear him apart after Vena Bank’s loans come to light. One of his old advisors, Togo invites him but Neo finds Ichimanda there, ready to throw salt at his wounds. Neo, who just signed a deal with an AI model that Soman has been eager to acquire, walks out of there with confidence, hoping to turn Neoxis around. The next day, when Neo goes to pray at the local Shrine, he has an accident as someone pushes him down hard, while he is coming down the stairs.Eiji, the old man from Akari Shopping Street tries to save Neo, but both of them end up getting injured. When they are taken to the hospital, both Neo and Eiji are knocked out. Doctors cannot do anything but watch both of them flatlining right on the hospital bed but Neo does not die. In a shocking twist of fate, he wakes up inside Eiji’s son Eito’ body. That’s not all, he has also appeared to be travelling back in time, in the year 2012. Neo is very confused because the nurse hands him clothes that are not his and they don’t even fit him properly. Neo is scared after he finds out that the whole Neoxis building, even the company, does not exist anymore. Gradually, he learns about his rebirth and time travel the hard way when he reads about Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s second term (he is dead after the covid era) and the live weather board that reads out 2012.

Who Is Eito?

As Neo stands confused on the road, wondering how he can see without his spectacles, he notices Eiji running towards him. In this timeline, Eiji’s son, Eito is still alive and the poor father has been worried sick after an unfortunate accident at the factory. Neo finds out that Eito has gotten himself injured while trying to protect Sarasa from a falling pile (which explains why he found himself waking up in the hospital bed). Back at Eiji’s home, Neo learns that Eito has helped people out throughout his entire life and it came as a reckoning for him. Neo (I am calling him Neo because he still has all the memories about Neoxis) understands that he has never helped someone, and has always been a blind man who just fed on people’s weaknesses and insecurities to beat Soman. The original Eito gave up on his job at a major company to help out his ailing father in Nomoto Dry Cleaners following his mother’s sudden death. 

What Will Neo Do Now?

I am not certain if we should call him Neo or just go with the 2012 timeline, but for the time being, let us call him by his original name. Neo finds himself in a pretty bizarre situation because he is now a resident of the Akari Housing Complex, the area that he was trying to acquire at all costs. After learning about Eito in his room, Neo meets Sarasa and quite obviously bows down because he still remembers how she threw money at his face. Sarasa makes Neo feel safe in this unknown situation by thanking him for saving his life, unaware of the rebirth and his unintended time travel. After she leaves, Neo feels happy to be reborn into such a generous soul’s body, but the question is, why? Does the universe want to give Neo a second chance to do good in life as Eito? Or, do you think it wants Neo to go through the hardships of the Akari shopkeepers so when he returns to his timeline, he stops running behind their land?

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